Star Refrigeration appoints new Group Managing Director

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The UK’s largest independent industrial refrigeration and heating contractor, Star Refrigeration, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Andy Pearson as Group Managing Director. Dr Pearson has been working for Star since 1986 and has recently been promoted from his position as Group Engineering Director, a role he has held since 2010.

Dr Pearson is one of the leading names in the refrigeration and engineering industry, and his work is world renowned. Recently awarded an ASHRAE Fellowship, he is a respected voice in the sector and has edited books on ammonia and carbon dioxide for the International Institute of Refrigeration, as well as being a lead author for UNEP’s Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps Technical Options Committee since 2006. Pearson also contributes a popular monthly column to the ASHRAE Journal. He writes extensively on subjects related to industrial refrigeration, particularly with regard to natural, zero carbon ammonia and carbon dioxide, safety, energy efficiency and system design improvements.

Dr Pearson will be responsible for the management of the multi-million pound industrial refrigeration company and all existing businesses within the group, including large capacity district and industrial heat pump contractor Star Renewable Energy, consultants Star Technical Solutions, M&E contractor SMES, education provider Star Learning Solutions, freezing and chilling company Starfrost, and US chiller manufacturer Azane Inc.

John Rowell, Chairman of Star Refrigeration, said, “Andy’s appointment is very welcome. Having worked for Star Refrigeration for many years, his experience in executive and non-executive positions, as well as his in-depth knowledge of the sector, both in the UK and internationally, are invaluable for Star to continue to realise its full potential in this new age of environmentally driven technology.”

Dr Pearson said, “Star Refrigeration is one of the leading industrial refrigeration companies in the United Kingdom based on its clear values and outstanding reputation for innovation and engineering of the highest quality. I’m very excited to be taking on this new role and being presented with the opportunity to continue to build on its success.”

Recognised by several international organisations in the refrigeration and heat pump world, Dr Pearson was the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration’s Member of the Year in 2006 and was awarded the J&E Hall Gold Medal by the Institute of Refrigeration in 2007. More recently, he received the Charles Tellier medal from the Association Française du Froid (2013) and the Ritter von Rittinger medal from the International Energy Agency’s Heat Pump Association (2014). He was named as an ASHRAE Fellow at the annual meeting in Orlando on January 23, 2016.

Dr Pearson was the President of the Institute of Refrigeration from 2010-2013, and sat on the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration from 2002-2008. He is chairman of the British Standards Institute committee on Refrigeration Safety (RHE/018) and represents BSI on the equivalent committees in CEN and ISO. As an expert in his field he was deeply involved in the development of the international standards EN378 and ISO5149.

It is with this wealth of knowledge and industry experience that Dr Pearson will be leading Star Refrigeration into the future of eco-friendly cooling.

The executive board also appointed Bill Campbell as Contracts Director and James Ward as Operations Director.

Star Refrigeration is well known for a series of cutting edge technologies, including the first use of carbon dioxide in a freeze drying application (2001), the first distribution warehouse with a cascade ammonia/carbon dioxide system (2002) and the first use of carbon dioxide in IT cooling (2005). More recently, Star has developed a family of natural heat pumps for industrial and district heating applications and a range of low charge ammonia products to provide efficient, safe alternatives to end users faced with R22 phase out requirements.